Features and design

At the moment, the 14 7000 series is available in three fixed configurations starting at $800 (Â£599, AU $1,300; configurations vary by region ). That’s $50 less than the entry model we tested last year, but Dell used a 1,366×768-pixel resolution touch display this time around instead of the 1,920×1,080 display we got last time.

The base model also has a newer Intel Core i5-4210U processo, 6GB of memory, integrated Intel HD Graphics 4400, and a 500GB 5,400rpm hard drive. Pony up $200 more and get the full HD touch display, 2GB more of RAM, and a dual-core Core i7-4510U CPU. Throw in another $50 on top of that and Dell puts in a 32GB mSATA SSD to accompany the 500GB hard drive (which is the model tested here).

These are all good prices for what you’re getting. However, you can’t adjust the configurations at all. So if you wanted to pay a little extra for just the 1080p screen, or a faster processor, or more memory you can’t: you’ll have to get them all for an additional $200.